Vendors cry foul over ‘unfair’ lottery system; allege experience ignored   

Mysuru: Food stall vendors staged a flash protest in front of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Office yesterday, opposing the lottery system and alleging discrimination in stall selection for the Dasara Aahaara Mela (food festival).

The selection process, organised by the Dasara Aahaara Mela Sub-Committee at Jaganmohan Palace, involved drawing lots to allot the stalls. Vendors alleged that long-standing participants were denied an opportunity while new-comers were favoured.

Angry over the process and the exclusion of veteran vendors, the protesters voiced their resentment against the Sub-Committee’s decisions.

More than 500 applications were received for stalls this year. The vendors alleged that the lottery process lacked transparency and was unfair to local traders who had been participating in the mela for several years.

“Every year we set up stalls and sustain our livelihood through this mela. This time, under the name of a lottery, our chance has been denied. Ignoring our experience and past participation and distributing stalls purely on luck is not right,” they said.

They also questioned the need to invite a large number of applications when the number of stalls was limited.

Fewer stalls, more applications

“When the number of stalls is limited, inviting excessive applications and then rejecting genuine beneficiaries through a lottery is unjust. Even the way the lottery is conducted is unclear. Therefore, the lottery system introduced for stall allocation must be withdrawn immediately,” they demanded.

The protesters insisted that priority should be given to vendors who had been participating in the mela for several years. They urged the authorities to allot stalls based on clear criteria, taking into consideration the interests of local and veteran vendors.

Later, the protesters submitted a memorandum to MCC Additional Commissioner Veena, who is also the Deputy Special Officer of Aahaara Mela Sub-Committee. Responding to their appeal, she assured them that steps would be taken to provide opportunities for long-standing vendors.

The protest was led by Dasara Aahaara Mela Vendors’ Association President S. Nagaraju, Vice-President Shanthamma, Treasurer Shivaswamy and members Chandrashekar, Santhosh, Shivasiddu, Ravi, Rajeshwari, Latha, Nanjundegowda, Chandrashekar among others.